Taylor Swift
' Taylor Alison Swift' (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 14 to pursue a career in country music. She signed with the independent label Big Machine Records and became the youngest songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house. The release of Swift's self-titled debut album in 2006 established her as a country music star. Her third single, "Our Song," made her the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a number one song on the Hot Country Songs chart. She received a Best New Artist nomination at the 2008 Grammy Awards. Swift was a country singer firstly, but when after her album Fearless, ''she began to sing pop songs. Swift's second album, ''Fearless, was released in 2008. Buoyed by the pop crossover success of the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me", Fearless became the best-selling album of 2009 in the U.S. The album won four Grammy Awards, with Swift becoming the youngest ever Album of the Year winner. Swift's third album, 2010's Speak Now, sold over one million copies within the first week of its U.S release. The album's third single, "Mean", won two Grammy Awards. In 2012, Swift released her fourth album,Red, which sold over one million copies in its first week of U.S. release. The singles "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "I Knew You Were Trouble" were worldwide hits. Her fifth album, the pop-focused 1989, was released in 2014. It sold more copies in its opening week than any album in the previous twelve years, and made Swift the first and only performer to have three albums sell more than one million copies in a week. The singles "Shake It Off" and "Blank Space" both reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Swift is known for narrative songs about her personal experiences. As a songwriter, she has been honored by the Nashville Songwriters Association and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Swift's other achievements include seven Grammy Awards, thirty-fourBillboard Music Awards, eleven Country Music Association Awards and seven Academy of Country Music Awards. To date, she has sold more than 45 million albums and 130 million digital single downloads according to her certified units. In addition to her music career, Swift has appeared as an actress in the ensemble comedy Valentine's Day (2010), the animated film The Lorax (2012) and''The Giver'' (2014). As a philanthropist, Swift supports arts education, children's literacy, natural disaster relief, LGBT anti-discrimination efforts, and charities for sick children. Life and career 1989–2004: Early life Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989, in West Reading, Pennsylvania.4 Her father, Scott Kingsley Swift, is a Merrill Lynch financial adviser.56 Scott was raised in Pennsylvania and is the descendant of three generations of bank presidents.78 Her mother, Andrea (née Finlay), is a homemaker who previously worked as a mutual fundmarketing executive.9 Andrea, though American, spent the first ten years of her life in Singapore, before settling in Texas; her own father was an oil rig engineer who worked throughout Southeast Asia.8 Swift's younger brother, Austin, is a student at the University of Notre Dame.10 She and her brother were raised in the Presbyterian faith and attended bible school.1112 She spent the early years of her life on an eleven-acre Christmas tree farm in Cumru Township, Pennsylvania.13 She attended preschool and kindergarten at the Alvernia Montessori School, run by Franciscan nuns,14 and was later educated at the Wyndcroft School, a co-ed private school.15 When Swift was nine years old, the family moved to a rented house in the suburban town of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania,16 where she attended West Reading Elementary Center and Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School.17 Swift summered at her parents' waterfront vacation home in Stone Harbor, New Jersey and has described it as the place "where most of my childhood memories were formed."18 Swift's family owned several Quarter horses and a Shetland pony and her first hobby was English horse riding.19 Her mother first put her in a saddle when she was nine months old and she later competed in horse shows.20 At the age of nine, Swift became interested in musical theatre. She performed in many Berks Youth Theatre Academy productions and traveled regularly to Broadway for vocal and acting lessons.2122 Swift then turned her attention to country music; Shania Twain's songs made her "want to just run around the block four times and daydream about everything."23 She spent her weekends performing at local festivals, fairs, coffeehouses, karaoke contests, garden clubs, Boy Scout meetings and sporting events.8924 At the age of eleven, after many failed attempts,25 Swift won a local talent competition by singing a rendition of LeAnn Rimes's "Big Deal", and was given the opportunity to appear as the opening act for Charlie Daniels at a Strausstown amphitheater.21 After watching a Behind the Music episode about Faith Hill, Swift felt sure that she needed to go to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a music career.26 At the age of eleven, she traveled with her mother to Nashville for spring break to leave a demo of Dolly Parton and Dixie Chicks karaoke covers with record labels along Music Row.27 She received label rejections and realized that "everyone in that town wanted to do what I wanted to do. So, I kept thinking to myself, I need to figure out a way to be different."28 At the age of twelve, Swift was shown by a computer repairman how to play three chords on a guitar, inspiring her to write her first song, "Lucky You".29 She had previously won a national poetry contest with a poem titled "Monster in My Closet" but now began to focus on songwriting.30 In 2003, Swift and her parents started working with New York-based music manager Dan Dymtrow. With Dymtrow's help, Swift modelled for Abercrombie & Fitch as part of their "Rising Stars" campaign, had an original song included in a Maybellinecompilation CD and took meetings with major record labels.31 After performing original songs at an RCA Records showcase, the eighth-grader was given an artist development deal and began making frequent trips to Nashville with her mother.32 When Swift was fourteen, her father transferred to the Nashville office of Merrill Lynch and the family relocated to a lakefront house in Hendersonville, Tennessee.7 "My parents took all the pressure off by saying, 'We're just moving because we love the area, so don't worry.' They knew nothing about the industry and had no involvement in entertainment, but I was obsessed with it and so they did their research and read up about it to help me in every way they could. They're amazing people."33 In Tennessee, she attendedHendersonville High School for her freshman and sophomore years.34 Later, to accommodate her touring schedule, Swift transferred to the Aaron Academy, a private Christian school which offered homeschooling services. She earned her high school diploma in 2008, having completed her final two years of course work in twelve months.3536 2004–08: Career beginnings and Taylor Swift Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of fourteen. In 2004,37 she signed an artist development deal with RCA Records, leading to writing sessions with experiencedMusic Row songwriters such as Troy Verges, Brett Beavers, Brett James, Mac McAnally and The Warren Brothers.3839 She eventually formed a lasting working relationship withLiz Rose. Swift saw Rose performing at an RCA songwriter event and suggested that they write together.40 They began meeting for two-hour writing sessions every Tuesday afternoon after school.41 Rose has said that the sessions were "some of the easiest I've ever done. Basically, I was just her editor. She'd write about what happened in school that day. She had such a clear vision of what she was trying to say. And she'd come in with the most incredible hooks."42 Swift also began recording demos with producerNathan Chapman.40 After performing at a BMI Songwriter's Circle showcase at The Bitter End, New York in 2004,3943 Swift became the youngest songwriter ever hired by theSony/ATV Tree publishing house.44 Swift left RCA Records when she was fifteen; the company wanted her to record the work of other songwriters and wait until she was eighteen to release an album, but she felt ready to launch her career with her own material.2545 She also parted ways with manager Dan Dymtrow, who later took legal action against Swift and her parents.3146 "'I genuinely felt that I was running out of time," Swift later recalled. "I wanted to capture these years of my life on an album while they still represented what I was going through."47 At an industry showcase at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe in 2005, Swift caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, a DreamWorks Recordsexecutive who was preparing to form his own independent record label, Big Machine Records. She became one of the label's first signings, with her father purchasing a three per cent stake in the fledgling company at an estimated cost of $120,000.4849 As an introduction to the country music business, Borchetta arranged for Swift to intern as an artist escort at the CMA Music Festival.50 Swift performing at the Maverick Saloon & Grill in Santa Maria, California in 2006 Swift began working on her eponymous debut album shortly after signing her record deal. After experimenting with veteran Nashville producers, Swift persuaded Big Machine to hire her demo producer Nathan Chapman. It was his first time recording a studio album but Swift felt they had the right "chemistry."25 Swift wrote three of the album's songs alone, including two singles, and co-wrote the remaining eight with writers such as Liz Rose, Robert Ellis Orrall and Angelo Petraglia.51 Musically, the album has been described as "a mix of trad-country instruments and spry rock guitars."52 Taylor Swift was released on October 24, 2006. The New York Times described it as "a small masterpiece of pop-minded country, both wide-eyed and cynical, held together by Ms. Swift's firm, pleading voice."53 The New Yorker's Sasha Frere-Jones described the sixteen-year-old Swift as a "prodigy." He noted that "Our Song" "stopped me in my tracks" and praised the lyrics: "He's got a one-hand feel on the steering wheel, the other on my heart."54 Rolling Stone described Swift as "bright-eyed but remarkably seasoned," and admired "Our Song"'s "insanely hooky sing-song melody that's as Britney as it is Patsy."52 Swift performing at Yahoo!headquarters in Sunnyvale, California in 2007 Big Machine Records was still in its infancy upon the release of the lead single "Tim McGraw" in June 2006, and Swift and her mother helped "stuff the CD singles into envelopes to send to radio."55 She spent much of 2006 promoting Taylor Swift in a radio tour and later commented, "Radio tours for most artists last six weeks. Mine lasted six months."25Swift baked cookies and painted canvases to gift to radio station programmers who played her music.56 She made many television appearances, including on the Grand Ole Opry,57 Good Morning America,58 and TRL.59 Swift, a self-described "kid of the internet," used Myspace to build a fanbase.60 This was, at the time, "revolutionary in country music."61 Borchetta has said that his decision to sign a sixteen-year-old singer-songwriter initially raised eyebrows among his record industry peers but Swift tapped into a previously unknown market: teenage girls who listen to country music.61 Following "Tim McGraw", four further singles were released throughout 2007 and 2008: "Teardrops on My Guitar", "Our Song", "Picture to Burn" and "Should've Said No". All were highly successful on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, with "Our Song" and "Should've Said No" both reaching number one. "Our Song" made Swift the youngest person to single-handedly write and sing a number one country song.62 "Teardrops on My Guitar" became a minor pop hit; it reached number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100.63 The album sold 39,000 copies during its first week of release64 and, as of March 2011, has sold over 5.5 million copies worldwide.65 Swift also released a holiday album,Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection, in October 2007 and an EP, Beautiful Eyes, in July 2008.6667 Swift toured extensively in support of Taylor Swift. In addition to her own material, Swift played covers of songs by Beyoncé, Rihanna, John Waite, Lynyrd Skynyrd andEminem.686970 She conducted meet-and-greet sessions with fans before and after her concerts; these lasted for up to four hours.71 As well as festival and theater dates, Swift performed as an opening act for several country artists' concert tours. In late 2006, she opened for Rascal Flatts on the final nine dates of their Me & My Gang Tour, after the previous supporting act Eric Church was fired.58 Swift later sent Church her first gold record with a note: "Thanks for playing 'too long' and 'too loud' on the Flatts tour. I sincerely appreciate it. Taylor."72 In 2007, she served as the opening act on twenty dates for George Strait's tour,73 several dates on Kenny Chesney's Flip-Flop Summer Tour,74selected dates on Brad Paisley's Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour75 and several dates for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's joint Soul2Soul II Tour.76 Swift again opened for Rascal Flatts on their Still Feels Good Tour in 2008.77 Swift and Alan Jackson were jointly named the Nashville Songwriters Association's Songwriter/Artist of the Year in 2007, with Swift becoming the youngest person ever to be honored with the title.78 She also won the Country Music Association's Horizon Award for Best New Artist,79 the Academy of Country Music Awards's Top New Female Vocalist award80 and the American Music Awards's Favorite Country Female Artist honor.81 She was also nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award in the category of Best New Artist, but lost to Amy Winehouse.82 2008–10: Fearless Swift's second studio album, Fearless, was released on November 11, 2008. Swift wrote seven of the album's songs alone, including two singles, and co-wrote the remaining six with songwriters Liz Rose, John Rich, Colbie Caillat and Hillary Lindsey.83 She co-produced the album with Nathan Chapman.83 Musically, it has been said that the record is characterized by "loud, lean guitars and rousing choruses," with the occasional "bit of fiddle and banjo tucked into the mix."84 The New York Times described Swift as "one of pop's finest songwriters, country's foremost pragmatist and more in touch with her inner life than most adults."85 The Village Voice felt she displayed "preternatural wisdom and inclusiveness," "masterfully avoiding the typical diarist's pitfalls of trite banality and pseudo-profound bullshit."86 Rolling Stone described her as "a songwriting savant with an intuitive gift for verse-chorus-bridge architecture" whose "squirmingly intimate and true" songs seemed to be "literally ripped from a suburban girl's diary."84 Music critic Robert Christgau characterized Swift as "an uncommonly-to-impossibly strong and gifted teenage girl."87 Swift, who now owned her own management company led by Robert Allen,8889 promoted Fearless heavily upon its release. An episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show was dedicated to the album launch and Swift appeared on many other chat shows.6190 She communicated with fans using social media platforms such as Twitter and personal video blogs and co-hosted the pre-show for the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.61 The lead single from the album, "Love Story", was released in September 2008 and became the second best-selling country single of all time, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.91 Four more singles were released throughout 2008 and 2009: "White Horse", "You Belong with Me", "Fifteen" and "Fearless". "You Belong with Me" was the album's highest-charting single, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.92 The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with sales of 592,304 and has since sold over 8.6 million copies worldwide.93 It was the top-selling album of 2009 and brought Swift much crossover success.94 Swift performing in thePrudential Center in New Jersey during the Fearless Tour in 2010 Swift went on her first headlining tour in support of Fearless. As part of the 105-date Fearless Tour, Swift played 90 dates in North America, six dates in Europe, eight dates in Australia and one date in Asia.95 She sang a cover of Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around... Comes Around" nightly, intertwined with her own "You're Not Sorry".96 Swift invited John Mayer, Faith Hill and Katy Perry to perform one-off duets with her at various dates during the North American tour, while Justin Bieber, Kellie Pickler and Gloriana were the support acts.97 The tour was attended by more than 1.1 million fans and grossed over $63 million.98 Taylor Swift: Journey to Fearless, a concert film, was aired on television and later released on DVD and Blu-ray.99 Swift also performed as a supporting act for Keith Urban's Escape Together World Tour.100 In addition to tour dates, the singer paid tribute to a number of fellow artists in televised performances. She performed a cover of Alan Jackson's "Drive" at the CMT Giants: Alan Jackson event, took part in a joint, televised concert with rock band Def Leppard in Nashville, and performed a cover of George Strait's "Run" at a televised ACM event honoring Strait as the Artist of the Decade.101 Swift sang her song "Fifteen" with Miley Cyrus at the 51st Grammy Awards and performed a self-penned rap skit with T-Pain at the CMT Awards.102 Swift also recorded a number of side-projects. She released a cover of Tom Petty's "American Girl" through Rhapsody in 2009103 and made her stage entrance to Petty's recording of the song until 2013.104 She contributed backing vocals to John Mayer's "Half of My Heart", a single featured on his fourth album.105 She co-wrote and recorded "Best Days of Your Life" with Kellie Pickler106 and co-wrote two songs for the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack – "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" and "Crazier" – with Martin Johnson and Robert Ellis Orrall, respectively.107 Swift also provided vocals for Boys Like Girls's "Two Is Better Than One", written by Martin Johnson.108 She contributed two songs – including "Today Was a Fairytale" – to the''Valentine's Day'' soundtrack109 and recorded a cover of Better Than Ezra's "Breathless" for the Hope for Haiti Now album.110 Swift performing in Los Angeles during the Fearless Tour in 2010 Swift became the first country music artist to win an MTV Video Music Award when "You Belong with Me" was named Best Female Video in 2009.111 Her acceptance speech was interrupted by rapper Kanye West, who had been involved in a number of other award show incidents.112 In the event's press room, Swift, a fan of West's music,113 said that she did not have "any hard feelings" toward him.114115 The incident received much media attention and inspired many Internet memes.116 A few days later, Swift told an interviewer that West offered her a personal apology, which she accepted: "He was very sincere."111 She refused to discuss the incident in subsequent interviews so as not to make a "bigger deal" of it: "It happened on TV, so everybody saw what happened ... It's not something I feel like we need to keep talking about."117 It has been said that the incident and subsequent media attention turned Swift into "a bona-fide mainstream celebrity."118 Swift won four Grammy Awards in 2010, from a total of eight nominations.119 Fearless was named Album of the Year and Best Country Album, while "White Horse" was named Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance.120 She was the youngest ever artist to win Album of the Year.121 During the ceremony, Swift sang "Rhiannon" and "You Belong with Me" with Stevie Nicks. Her vocal performance received negative reviews and sparked a widespread media backlash.118122 Her vocals were described variously as "badly off-key," "strikingly bad" and "incredibly wretched."123124 While The New York Times found it "refreshing to see someone so gifted make the occasional flub" and described Swift as "the most important new pop star of the past few years,"121 music analyst Bob Lefsetz predicted that her career would end "overnight." He publicly appealed to Swift's father to hire a "crisis publicity agent" to manage the story because "Taylor's too young and dumb to understand the mistake she made."125126 Stevie Nicks, writing in Time, defended the singer: "Taylor reminds me of myself in her determination and her childlike nature. It's an innocence that's so special and so rare. This girl writes the songs that make the whole world sing, like Neil Diamond or Elton John ... The female rock-'n'-roll-country-pop songwriter is back, and her name is Taylor Swift. And it's women like her who are going to save the music business."127 Fearless won many other accolades and has become the most awarded album in country music history.128 Swift became the youngest ever artist and one of only six women to be named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association.129 Fearless also won the Association's Album of the Year award.129 Swift was the youngest ever artist to win the Academy of Country Music's Album of the Year honor.130 The American Music Awards honored Swift with Artist of the Year and Favorite Country Album plaudits.131 She was awarded the Hal David Starlight Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame132 and was named Songwriter/Artist of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association.133 Billboard named her 2009's Artist of the Year.134 Swift was included in Time 's annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in 2010.135 2010–12: Speak Now Swift released her third studio album, Speak Now, on October 25, 2010. She wrote all fourteen songs alone and co-produced the record with longtime collaborator Nathan Chapman.136 Musically, it has been said that the album "expands beyond country-pop to border both alternative rock and dirty bubblegum pop."137 The New York Times''described the album as savage, musically diverse and "excellent too, possibly her best."136 ''The Village Voice remarked that the album demanded "a true appreciation of Swift's talent, which is not confessional, but dramatic: Like a procession of country songwriters before her, she creates characters and situations—some from life—and finds potent ways to describe them."138 Music critic Robert Christgau found the album's songs "overlong and overworked" but remarked that "they evince an effort that bears a remarkable resemblance to care—that is, to caring in the best, broadest, and most emotional sense."87 Rolling Stone described Swift as one of the best songwriters in "pop, rock or country": "Swift might be a clever Nashville pro who knows all the hitmaking tricks, but she's also a high-strung, hyper-romantic gal with a melodramatic streak the size of the Atchafalaya Swamp."139 Swift carried out an extensive promotional campaign prior to Speak Now's release.140 She appeared on various talk shows and morning shows, and gave free mini-concerts in unusual locations, including an open-decker bus on Hollywood Boulevard and a departure lounge at JFK airport.141 She took part in a "guitar pull" alongside Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill and Lionel Richie at LA's Club Nokia; the musicians shared the stage and took turns introducing and playing acoustic versions of their songs to raise money for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.142143 The album's lead single, "Mine", was released in August 2010 and five further singles were released throughout 2010 and 2011: "Back to December", "Mean", "The Story of Us", "Sparks Fly" and "Ours".144 Speak Now was a major commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. Its opening sales of 1,047,000 copies made it the sixteenth album in US history to sell one million copies in a single week.145 As of February 2012, Speak Now has sold over 5.7 million copies worldwide.146147 Swift performing inNewark, New Jersey during the Speak Now World Tour in 2011 Swift toured throughout 2011 and early 2012 in support of Speak Now. As part of the thirteen-month, 111-date world tour, Swift played seven shows in Asia, twelve shows in Europe, 80 shows in North America and twelve shows in Australasia.148 Swift invited many musicians to join her for one-off duets during the North American tour. Appearances were made by James Taylor, Jason Mraz, Shawn Colvin, Johnny Rzeznik, Andy Grammer, Tal Bachman, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Nicki Minaj, Nelly, B.o.B, Usher, Flo Rida, T.I., Jon Foreman, Jim Adkins, Hayley Williams,Hot Chelle Rae, Ronnie Dunn, Darius Rucker, Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney.149150 During the North American tour leg, Swift wrote differentsong lyrics on her left arm for each performance and has said that the lyrics should be viewed as a nightly "mood ring."151152 Swift performedmany acoustic cover versions during her North American tour. In each city, she paid tribute to a homegrown artist.153 She has said the cover versions allowed her to be "spontaneous" in an otherwise well-rehearsed show.154 The tour was attended by over 1.6 million fans and grossed over $123 million.148 Swift's first live album, Speak Now World Tour: Live, featuring all seventeen performances from the North American leg of the tour, was released in November 2011.155 Swift performing in Sydneyduring the Speak Now World Tour in 2012 At the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, Swift's song "Mean" won Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance.156 She also performed the song during the ceremony. Bob Lefsetz, one of the most vocal critics of her 2010 Grammy performance, believes the song is addressed to him.157158 Lefsetz had previously been a supporter of the singer's career,159 and Swift and Lefsetz had corresponded occasionally by email and telephone.157 Time felt she "delivered her comeback on-key and with a vengeance"160 while USA Today''remarked that the criticism in 2010 seemed to have "made her a better songwriter and live performer."161 Swift won various other awards for ''Speak Now. She was named Songwriter/Artist of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association in both 2010 and 2011.162163 She was named Entertainer of the Year by the Academy of Country Music in both 2011 and 2012164 and was named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association in 2011.165 Swift was the American Music Awards's Artist of the Year in 2011, while Speak Now was named Favorite Country Album.166 Billboard named Swift 2011's Woman of the Year.167 While Swift was completing her fourth album in the summer of 2012, James Taylor invited her to appear as a special guest during his Tanglewoodset; they performed "Fire and Rain", "Love Story" and "Ours" together.168 Taylor, who first met Swift when she was eighteen, has said that, "we just hit it off. I loved her songs, and her presence on stage was so great."169170 During this period, Swift also contributed two original songs to''The Hunger Games'' soundtrack album. "Safe & Sound" was co-written and recorded with The Civil Wars and T-Bone Burnett.171 John Paul Whitehas said working with Swift was "a revelation ... It truly was a collaboration."172 It was released as the album's lead single and, as of January 2013, has sold over 1.4 million copies in the United States.173 It won Best Song Written For Visual Media at the 2013 Grammy Awards and was nominated for Best Original Songat the 70th Golden Globe Awards.174 Swift's second contribution to the album, "Eyes Open", was written solely by the singer and produced by Nathan Chapman.175 In addition, Swift contributed vocals to "Both of Us", a Dr. Luke-produced single from B.o.B's second album Strange Clouds.176 2012–14: Red Swift's fourth studio album, Red, was released on October 22, 2012.177 She wrote nine of the album's sixteen songs alone. The remaining seven were co-written with Max Martin, Liz Rose, Dan Wilson, Ed Sheeran, and Gary Lightbody. Nathan Chapman served as the album's lead producer but Jeff Bhasker, Butch Walker, Jacknife Lee, Dann Huffand Shellback also produced individual tracks. Chapman has said he encouraged Swift "to branch out and to test herself in other situations."178 Musically, while there is experimentation with heartland rock, dubstep and dance-pop, it is "sprinkled among more recognisably Swiftian fare."179180 Jon Caramanica of The New York Times found Red"less detailed and more rushed than her usual fare"181 but placed it at number two on his end-of-year list, characterizing it as the album on which Swift "stops pretending she's anything but a pop megastar, one with grown-up concerns, like how two bodies speak to each other and how taste in records can be a stand-in for moral turpitude."182 The Times praised her "sublime" lyrics, particularly those on the "brooding" "All Too Well".183 Rolling Stone enjoyed "watching Swift find her pony-footing on Great Songwriter Mountain. She often succeeds in joining the Joni/Carole King tradition of stark-relief emotional mapping ... Her self-discovery project is one of the best stories in pop."184 Swift performing in St. Louis, Missouri during the 2013 The Red Tour As part of the Red promotional campaign, representatives from 72 worldwide radio stations were flown to Nashville during release week for individual interviews with Swift.185 She also appeared on many television chat shows and performed at award ceremonies in the US, the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Australia.186 The album's lead single, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", became Swift's first number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.187 Six further singles were released: "Begin Again" (for country radio), "I Knew You Were Trouble", "22", "Everything Has Changed", "The Last Time" (all for pop and international radio) and "Red" (for country radio). Red debuted at number one on the''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of 1.21 million copies; this marked the highest opening sales in a decade and made Swift the first female to have two million-selling album openings.188 As of May 2013, Red had sold over 6 million copies worldwide.189 In her career, as of November 2012, she had sold in excess of 26 million albums and 75 million song downloads.190 The North American leg of Swift's Red Tour ran from March to September 2013. She played 66 dates across North America, including thirteen stadium shows. The Red Tour visited stadiums across New Zealand and Australia in December 2013, visited England and Germany in February 2014, and finished with a six-date Asian leg in June 2014.191 Swift invited special guests such as Carly Simon, Tegan and Sara, Jennifer Lopez,Luke Bryan, Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, Ellie Goulding, Nelly, Sara Bareilles, Cher Lloyd, B.o.B, Gary Lightbody, Train, Neon Trees, Rascal Flatts, Hunter Hayes, Emeli Sandé and Sam Smith to duet with her on various nights of the tour.192 Swift collaborated with a number of other artists in the Red era. She co-wrote "Sweeter Than Fiction" with Jack Antonoff for the One Chance movie soundtrack and received a Best Original Song nomination at the 71st Golden Globe Awards.193194 She provided guest vocals for a Tim McGraw song titled "Highway Don't Care", featuring guitar work by Keith Urban; the trio performed the song live on three occasions.195 She performed an acoustic version of "Red" with Vince Gill and Alison Krauss at the 2013 CMA Awards.196 Swift performed "As Tears Go By" with The Rolling Stones in Chicago as part of their 50 & Counting... tour.197 She also joined Florida Georgia Line on stage during their set at the 2013 Country Radio Seminar to sing "Cruise".198 Swift performing in Los Angeles during the 2013 Red Tour Red won no Grammy Awards but was nominated in a total of four categories. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" was a Record of the Year nominee at the 2013 Grammy Awards while Red was an Album of the Year nominee at the 2014 Grammy Awards. Similarly, Swift's fourth album won no awards at the Country Music Association's annual ceremony. However, Swift was honored by the Association with a special Pinnacle Award for "unique" levels of success; Garth Brooks is the only other recipient. Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, George Strait and Brad Paisley presented Swift with the award, while Mick Jagger, Carly Simon, Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Ethel Kennedy and Justin Timberlake recorded video messages. The New York Times considered it an attempt to persuade "country music's cash cow, its creative engine, its ambassador to the wider world" to remain within the genre199 while The New Yorker wondered whether "it may have been the moment when Swift and the genre that helped steer her toward pop domination said goodbye."200 Swift won three MTV Europe Music Awards in 2012, including the honors for Best Female and Best Live Act.201 "I Knew You Were Trouble" won Best Female Video at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.202 She was named Best Female Country Artist at the 2012 American Music Awards and was named Artist of the Year at the 2013 ceremony.203 The Nashville Songwriters Association's Songwriter/Artist Award went to Swift for the fifth and sixth consecutive years in 2012 and 2013.204 In the Red era, Swift's romantic life became the subject of intense media scrutiny. Gawker remarked that Swift had dated "every man in the universe."205 The Westboro Baptist Church protested Swift's concerts, labelling her "the whorish face of doomed America," while Abercrombie & Fitch marketed a slogan T-shirt with a "slut-shaming" Swift reference.206 The New York Times asserted that her "dating history has begun to stir what feels like the beginning of a backlash" and questioned whether Swift was in the midst of a "quarter-life crisis."207 The Village Voice''suggested that Swift's embrace of "traditional femininity" was the cause of the backlash: "She's young, she can be contentiously dramatic, she puts herself in the center of her stories, and obviously she's dated a lot of famous people in a relatively short amount of time. But none of that is exceptionally rare."208 At the Golden Globes award ceremony, comediennes Tina Fey and Amy Poehler poked fun at Swift's serial dating reputation, with Fey warning her to "stay away" from young men in the audience: "She needs some 'me' time to learn about herself." Swift was later asked about the incident in a ''Vanity Fair profile: "I was just sort of like, Oh well, you know, I can laugh at myself. But what it ended up adding to was this whole kind of everyone jumping on the bandwagon of 'Taylor dates too much'—which, you know, if you want some big revelation, since 2010 I have dated exactly two people." Elsewhere in the article, whilst discussing what the journalist describes as "the Golden Globes, and mean girls in general," Swift approvingly quoted Madeline Albright's remark that 'There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women.'209 2014: 1989 Swift's fifth studio album, 1989, was released on October 27, 2014.210 She wrote one song alone and co-wrote the remaining twelve with Jack Antonoff, Imogen Heap, Ryan Tedder, Max Martin, Shellback and Ali Payami. Swift described 1989 as her first official pop release and parted ways with members of her longtime band.211212213 She was inspired by the music of Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Annie Lennox, Madonna and Fine Young Cannibals.214215 Musically, the album is "driven by synths and drums in lieu of guitar." Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone remarked: "Deeply weird, feverishly emotional, wildly enthusiastic, 1989 sounds exactly like Taylor Swift, even when it sounds like nothing she's ever tried before."216 Molly Lambert of Grantland felt the "late-'80s album 1989 really resembles is Bruce Springsteen's Tunnel of Love," citing both artists' change of musical direction, shift in public image and split with longtime band members."217 Alexis Petridis of The Guardian praised the album's "Springsteenesque narratives of escape and the kind of doomed romantic fatalism in which 60s girl groups dealt … On 1989 the reasons she's afforded the kind of respect denied to her peers are abundantly obvious." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times remarked that Swift was "making pop with almost no contemporary references" and "aiming somewhere even higher, a mode of timelessness that few true pop stars even bother aspiring to."218 During the 1989 promotional campaign, Swift invited fans to secret album listening sessions at her houses in New York, Nashville, Los Angeles and Rhode Island. Her "expert" use of various social media platforms was also remarked upon by industry analysts.219 1989 sold 1.287 million copies in its first week of US release, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and making Swift the first and only act to have three albums sell more than one million copies in a week.220 The first single, "Shake It Off", was released in August 2014 and spent four non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.210 She became the first female artist to succeed herself as number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, when "Blank Space" succeeded "Shake It Off".221 Swift served as an advisor for contestants on the seventh season of The Voice.222 Artistry Influences One of Swift's earliest musical memories is listening to her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay (née Moehlenkamp), sing at church.15223 In her youth, Finlay was a television host in Puerto Rico and performed in operas in Singapore and Thailand.8224 As a very young child, Swift enjoyed Disney movie soundtracks: "My parents noticed that, once I had run out of words, I would just make up my own."27225 Later, her parents exposed her to artists including James Taylor, Simon & Garfunkel and Def Leppard.226227 Swift has said she owes her confidence to her mother, who helped her prepare for class presentations as a child.228 She also attributes her "fascination with writing and storytelling" to her mother.229 Swift enjoyed both reading and writing poetry and was particularly drawn to the works of Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss.8230 She remains interested "in any writing from a child's perspective" and has cited To Kill a Mockingbird as one of her favorite books.56 Shania Twain (left), Stevie Nicks (centre) and Carly Simon (right) have influenced Swift Swift was introduced to country music by "the great female country artists of the '90s ... Shania, Faith, the Dixie Chicks."68231 She was drawn to both the sound and storytelling of country music.232 Shania Twain, both as a songwriter and performer, was her biggest musical influence.233 Faith Hill was Swift's childhood role model and she tried to copy "everything she said, did, wore."234235 Swift admired the Dixie Chicks's defiant attitude and their ability to play their own instruments.8236 The band's "Cowboy Take Me Away" was the first song Swift learned to play on the guitar.237 She then began to explore the music of older country stars, including Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette and Dolly Parton.8238 Lynn's "Fist City" is one of Swift's favorite country songs.8 She believes Parton is "an amazing example to every female songwriter out there."235 Other mainstream country influences include Miranda Lambert,239 Dwight Yoakam,240 George Strait,8 Garth Brooks,68 Kenny Chesney,235 Reba McEntire,241 Alan Jackson,8 Martina McBride,242 LeAnn Rimes,243 Tim McGraw244 andBrad Paisley.245 Swift also admires alt-country artists such as Ryan Adams,246 Patty Griffin,247 Lori McKenna248and Bon Iver.249 Swift has been influenced by many artists outside the country genre. As a pre-teen, she enjoyed bubblegum pop acts including Hanson and Britney Spears; she still has "unwavering devotion" for Spears.[citation needed] In her high school years, Swift listened to emo bands such as Dashboard Confessional,250 Fall Out Boy,251 The All-American Rejects252 and Jimmy Eat World.253 She was also a fan of contemporary female singer-songwriters including Ingrid Michaelson,[citation needed] Michelle Branch,253 Pink,254Alanis Morissette,255 Ashlee Simpson,256 Kelly Clarkson,257 Fefe Dobson253 and Avril Lavigne.257 Swift closely followed the musical supervision on the television dramas The O.C. and Grey's Anatomy, downloading "every" song featured.249 She was a fan of hip hop music, particularly the rhyming patterns used by artists such as Eminem, stating that "Pride a lifestyle is something that both country and hip-hop share."8 Swift also drew inspiration from the catalogues of veteran artists. She describes Stevie Nicks as a "hero" who "has inspired me in so many ways."173258 Tom Petty, she has said, "is on a pedestal for me."19 She is "obsessed" with Sixties acts like The Shirelles, Doris Troy and The Beach Boys.152259 Influence also came from older female pop rock singers including Pat Benatar,257260 Melissa Etheridge,260 Sarah McLachlan,255 Shawn Colvin261 andLinda Ronstadt.262263 Swift lists Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson and Carly Simon as her career role models: "They've taken chances, but they've also been the same artist for their entire careers."261264265 McCartney, both as a Beatle and a solo artist, makes Swift feel "as if I've been let into his heart and his mind": "Any musician could only dream of a legacy like that."266 She admires Springsteen because he is "so musically relevant after such a long period of time."267 She aspires to be like Harris as she grows older: "It's not about fame for her, it's about music."268 Swift says of Kristofferson: "He shines in songwriting ... He's just one of those people who has been in this business for years but you can tell it hasn't chewed him up and spat him out."269 She admires Simon's "songwriting and honesty": "She's known as an emotional person but a strong person."270 Lyrical themes and style Thematically, The Guardian has noted that Swift was "fantastically good at regarding teenage life with a kind of wistful, sepia-toned nostalgia" over the course of her first two albums.271 New York Magazine has remarked that few singer-songwriters have written "great records so explicitly about their teens ... Her nearest antecedent might be sixties-era Brian Wilson, the one true adolescent auteur before she came along."272 Comparisons have also been drawn with Janis Ian.264 Fairytale imagery featured on Swift's second album, Fearless. She explored the disconnect "between fairy tales and the reality of love."273274 Her third and fourth albums addressed more adult relationships.265 In addition to romance and love, Swift's songs have discussed parent-child relationships ("The Best Day", "Never Grow Up", "Ronan"), friendships ("Fifteen", "Breathe", "22", "Bad Blood"),275276 alienation ("The Outside", "A Place in This World", "Tied Together with a Smile", "Mean", "Shake It Off"), the paparazzi ("The Lucky One", "I Know Places") and career ambitions ("Change", "Long Live").277278 Her defining quality as a songwriter, it has been said, is "a determination to register and hang onto fleeting feelings and impressions, a pre-emptive nostalgia for a present (and sometimes even a future) that she knows will some day be in the past."279 Swift frequently includes "a tossed-off phrase to suggest large and serious things that won't fit in the song, things that enhance or subvert the surface narrative."280 The New Yorker has said that her songs, "though they are not subversive, have a certain sophistication ... Sentimental songs are laced with intimations of future disillusionment."281 Structurally, Slate notes that Swift has "effortless, preternatural mastery of pop conventions: Very few songwriters can build better bridges than she does."282 Rolling Stone has described her as "a songwriting savant with an intuitive gift for verse-chorus-bridge architecture."283 The Village Voice has noted that Swift uses third-verse POV reversals frequently.280 She has a tendency to use the same images repeatedly. In the words of The Guardian, "she spends so much time kissin' in the rain that it seems a miracle she hasn't developed trenchfoot."271 However, "to Swift's credit, she explores new lyrical motifs over the course of fourth album."180 American Songwriter describes Swift as "a great songwriter, who writes with an unmatched and almost unnatural acuity ... Even her earliest material is characterized by thoughtful – perhaps meticulous – word choice and deliberate melodic construction, with nary a lazy rhyme or aimless tune to be found."284285 While reviews of Swift's work are "almost uniformly positive," The New Yorker has said she is generally portrayed "more as a skilled technician than as a Dylanesque visionary."264 "For a female to write about her feelings, and then be portrayed as some clingy, insane, desperate girlfriend in need of making you marry her and have kids with her, I think that's taking something that potentially should be celebrated – a woman writing about her feelings in a confessional way – that's taking it and turning it and twisting it into something that is frankly a little sexist." — Swift in response to criticism of her songwriting286 Swift uses autobiographical detail in her work.287 Listening to music as a child, she felt confused "when I knew something was going on in someone's personal life and they didn't address it in their music."288 The New York Times believes that "righting wrongs is Ms. Swift's raison d'être."289 In her songs, Swift often addresses the "anonymous crushes of her high school years" and, more recently, fellow celebrities.289 John Mayer, the presumed subject of "Dear John", has said the song "humiliated" him: "I think it's kind of cheap songwriting. I know she's the biggest thing in the world, and I'm not trying to sink anybody's ship, but I think it's abusing your talent to rub your hands together and go, 'Wait till he gets a load of this!'"290 The Village Voice has downplayed this aspect of Swift's songwriting: "Being told What Songs Mean is like having a really pushy professor. And it imperils a true appreciation of Swift's talent, which is not confessional, but dramatic."291 New York Magazine believes the media scrutiny over her decision to use autobiographical detail "is sexist, inasmuch as it's not asked of her male peers": "It's a relief to see Swift, the ur-nice-girl, refuse to give the mea culpa that many journalists she's talked to have sought."292The singer herself has said that all her songs are not factual293 and are often based on observations.294 Aside from her liner note clues, Swift tries not to talk specifically about song subjects "because these are real people. You try to give insight as to where you were coming from as a writer without completely throwing somebody under the bus."295 Musical and vocal style Swift's music contains elements of country, pop and pop rock.296296297 She self-identifies as a country artist.298 Rolling Stone asserts that, "she might get played on the country station, but she's one of the few genuine rock stars we've got these days."299 Swift's own definition of country music "is really pretty simple. It's when someone sings about their life and what they know, from an authentic place ... One guy will write about how he grew up on a farm and fell in love and raised kids on that same farm. Some people sing about how, when they get sad, they go to the bar and drink whiskey. I write songs about how I can't seem to figure out relationships and how I'm fascinated by love."298 She has said there will be "a huge temptation" to make an alt-country record as her career progresses.53 The New York Times notes that, "There isn't much in Ms. Swift's music to indicate country – a few banjo strums, a pair of cowboy boots worn onstage, a bedazzled guitar – but there's something in her winsome, vulnerable delivery that's unique to Nashville."300 The New Yorker believes she is "considered part of Nashville's country-pop tradition only because she writes narrative songs with melodic clarity and dramatic shape—Nashville's stock-in-trade."301 The Guardian has said that Swift "cranks melodies out with the pitiless efficiency of a Scandinavian pop factory."271 Swift's voice has been described as "sweet, but soft."302 In studio recordings, the Los Angeles Times identifies Swift's "defining" vocal gesture as "the line that slides down like a contented sigh or up like a raised eyebrow, giving her beloved girl-time hits their air of easy intimacy."137 Rolling Stone, in a Speak Now review, remarked: "Swift's voice is unaffected enough to mask how masterful she has become as a singer; she lowers her voice for the payoff lines in the classic mode of a shy girl trying to talk tough."303 In another review of Speak Now, The Village Voice noted that her phrasing was previously "bland and muddled, but that's changed. She can still sound strained and thin, and often strays into a pitch that drives some people crazy; but she's learned how to make words sound like what they mean."138 In a live setting, Swift, according to The Hollywood Reporter, "does her best, but certainly doesn't have the pipes to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Christina Aguilera or Carrie Underwood."302 Her live vocals have been described as "flat," "thin, and sometimes as wobbly as a newborn colt."304305 However, Swift has received praise for refusing to correct her pitch with Auto-Tune.306307308 In an interview with The New Yorker, Swift characterized herself primarily as a songwriter: "I write songs, and my voice is just a way to get those lyrics across."7309 Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Records has conceded that Swift is "not the best technical singer" but describes her as the "best communicator that we've got."310 Swift's vocal presence is something that concerns her and she has "put a lot of work" into improving it.311 It was reported in 2010 that she continues to take vocal lessons.312313 She has said that she only feels nervous performing "if I'm not sure what the audience thinks of me, like at award shows."314 Public image Swift at the 2010 Time 100Gala, where she was honored Swift has high Q Score and Davie-Brown Index ratings, reflecting a high level of public awareness (90 percent) and popularity (80 percent) in the United States.315 The singer considers it her "responsibility" to be conscious of her influence on young fans.316 A Rolling Stone journalist who profiled Swift in 2009 remarked upon her polite manners: "If this is Swift's game face, it must be tattooed on because it never drops."56317 In 2012, Rolling Stone remarked upon Swift's "ease with glad-handing ... it's not hard to imagine her running for office someday"318 while The Hollywood Reporter referred to her as "the Best People Person Since Bill Clinton."319 It has been said that she is "the kind of driven, intensely ambitious person who'd thrive regardless of her profession."320 A 2012 Vogue cover story described Swift as "clever and funny and occasionally downright bawdy" in person.321 Grantland describes Swift as "dorky" and "openly neurotic in a way you'd never see from a blonde country princess like Faith Hill or Carrie Underwood. She is more like Diane Keaton in Annie Hall: overly gracious and eager to please but full of a nonstop, nervous, fluttering energy."322 There has been much media commentary about Swift's surprised reactions when she is recognized at award ceremonies.323324 Swift laughingly noted that "people make so much fun of me." Although she sometimes tries to act blasé, "it's just hard when you get excited about stuff. It's like, if you win an award, isn't that crazy? ... How do you sit there and be like 'Oh, another Grammy. I guess I'm gonna get that now'?"325 In the early years of her career, Swift's signature look consisted of sundresses and cowboy boots.326327 This fashion style is still copied by many of the young fans who attend her concerts.326328 At formal events, Swift became known for "sparkly, beaded dresses."326 Her naturally curly hairstyle is replicated by fans, and Swift has remarked: "I remember straightening my hair because I wanted to be like everybody else, and now the fact that anybody would emulate what I do? It's just funny."328She was asked by Vogue to cut bangs for a cover shoot in late 2011, and now straightens her hair.329 Swift favors retro style and it has been said that she has the look of "a nineteen-thirties movie siren ... red lipstick, thick mascara."330331 She was named an Icon of American Style by Vogue in 2011.332 She has named Françoise Hardy, Jane Birkin, Brigitte Bardot, and Audrey Hepburn as her own style inspirations.333 She has spoken openly about her love of cats, and has two of her own; Meredith and Olivia Benson.334 Impact and recognition Swift speaking during aYouTube interview in 2011 Swift's work has received praise from veteran artists. Neil Young describes her as "a great writer": "I like Taylor Swift. I like listening to her. I kind of like watching her respond to all the attacks. I like the ways she's defining herself. So I keep my eye on it."335336 Stephen Stills has defended Swift's confessional writing style: "How many times do people want to make fun of her for writing a song about getting dumped? I'm sorry, that's what you do as a songwriter ... Wear your heart on your sleeve, then just write about it. Fuck 'em. If I was young, I would be one of Taylor Swift's conquests because I would stalk her."337338339 James Taylor, who has performed with Swift on two occasions, has said that "we just hit it off. I loved her songs, and her presence on stage was so great."169170 Elvis Costello has remarked: "I think she is quite interesting ... You can see a degree of self-possession there, and I'm intrigued by that."340 Judy Collins points to Swift as an example of a current star who is continuing on the lineage of being an independent-minded artist.341 Kris Kristofferson claims that "she blows me away. It's amazing to me that someone so young is writing such great songs. She's got a great career ahead of her."342343 Janis Ian notes that Swift "changed the face of music, songwriting and guitar playing for girls ... There is an authenticity there."344 Stevie Nicks believes Swift writes "songs that make the whole world sing, like Neil Diamond or Elton John."127 She remarked that the younger singer's "Today Was A Fairytale" has "stayed in my heart forever. And it just reminds me of me in a lot of ways."345 Jon Bon Jovi describes her as "the real deal in every way, shape and form. She's a writer, she's a singer, she's a beautiful girl ... Like, she's going to be around."346 Dolly Parton is "extremely impressed with her, especially with her songwriting ... I'm real impressed with the depth of her sometimes. She's got the qualities that could last a long time."347348 Melissa Etheridge remarks: "I love her soul, her spirit. I think she's going to surprise people and I think she's going to be around for a long time.".349350 Swift has also received songwriting praise from contemporaries. John Mayer was a supporter of Swift's early career; the duo recorded a duet and performed in concert together on two occasions: "You could put her in a time machine in any era and she would have a hit record."351 She has also received praise from Drake,352 Alicia Keys,[citation needed]Tegan and Sara,353354 Grimes,355 Kesha,356 Katy Perry,357 Kelly Clarkson358 and Lady Gaga.359 Ryan Adams has said that "every tune of hers is like the one you wait a whole lifetime to write."[citation needed] Kathleen Hanna is "totally into Taylor Swift. I think she has super-clever lyrics, and I love that she writes her own music."360 Shirley Mansonremarked that she is "exceedingly talented at songwriting ... She drew her own door and walked right through it. We should applaud her balls for bucking the system. That's what artists are supposed to do."361 Lena Dunham, the creator and star of HBO's television series Girls, has described Swift as her "artistic kindred spirit."362 She has also received recognition in an IT parody account.363 Product endorsements While promoting her debut album, Swift appeared as a spokesmodel for l.e.i. jeans and as the face of Verizon Wireless' Mobile Music campaign.364365 In the Fearless era, she launched a l.e.i. sundress range at Wal-Mart,366 and designed American Greetings cards and Jakks Pacific dolls.367368 She became a spokesperson for the NHL's Nashville Predators and Sony Cyber-shot digital cameras.369370 She performed in a commercial for the Band Hero video game, with Rivers Cuomo, Pete Wentz and Travis Barkerappearing as her backing band.371 In the Speak Now era, she released a special edition of her album through Target.372 Swift became a CoverGirl spokesmodel,373 launched two Elizabeth Arden fragrances, Wonderstruck and Wonderstruck Enchanted. While promoting her fourth album Red, Swift offered exclusive album promotions through Target,374 Papa John's Pizza185 and Walgreens.375 She became a spokesmodel forDiet Coke and Keds sneakers,376 released her third Elizabeth Arden fragrance titled Taylor by Taylor Swift, and continued her partnerships with Sony Electronics and American Greetings. Swift also partnered with a number of companies during the Red Tour; AirAsia and Qantas acted as the official airlines for the Australian and Asian legs respectively, while Cornetto sponsored the Asian leg of the tour. While promoting 1989, Swift had tie-ins with Subway, Keds, Target and Diet Coke.377 Acting career Swift at the premiere of''Hannah Montana: The Movie''in 2009 Swift made her acting debut in a 2009 episode of CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, playing a rebellious teenager.378 The New York Times''noted that the character allowed Swift to be "a little bit naughty, and credibly so".379 ''Rolling Stone felt she "held her own" and "does a good job with the script"380 while the Chicago Tribune said she "acquits herself well."381 Later that year, Swift both hosted and performed as the musical guest for an episode of Saturday Night Live.382 Entertainment Weekly described her as "this season's best Saturday Night Live host so far," noting that she "was always up for the challenge, seemed to be having fun, and helped the rest of the cast nail the punchlines". Proving "admirably resilient in a wide variety of sketch roles", she "inspired more of a female, girly-in-the-best-sense sensibility in SNL than it's shown since the Tina Fey-Amy Poehler days".383 Swift made her feature film acting debut in the 2010 ensemble comedy Valentine's Day, playing the ditzy girlfriend of a high school jock.384 The''Los Angeles Times'' felt the performance suggested "serious comedic potential"385 while the San Francisco Chronicle found her "very funny".386Time remarked that Swift portrayed her character "rather charmingly".387 However, Variety found her "entirely undirected... she needs to find a skilled director to tamp her down and channel her obviously abundant energy".388 The Daily News described her performance as "painfully clunky" while Slant Magazine found her "unwatchable".389390 In 2012, Swift voiced Audrey, a tree lover, in the animated film The Lorax. In 2013, she made a brief cameo on the sitcom New Girl. In 2014, she had a supporting role in the film adaptation of The Giver.391 Philanthropy Swift's philanthropic efforts have been recognized by the Do Something Awards,392 The Giving Back Fund393 and the Tennessee Disaster Services.394 In 2012, Michelle Obama presented Swift with The Big Help Award for her "dedication to helping others" and "inspiring others through action."395 Also that year, Kerry Kennedy of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights presented Swift with the Ripple of Hope Award because of her "dedication to advocacy at such a young age ... Taylor is just the kind of woman we want our daughters to be."396397 Swift is a supporter of arts education. In 2010, she donated $75,000 to Nashville's Hendersonville High School to help refurbish the school auditorium's sound and lighting systems.398 In 2012, she pledged $4 million to fund the building of a new education center at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.399 The 7,500-square-foot building opened in 2014 and will facilitate new programs and workshops for teenagers and senior citizens.400401 The space includes three classrooms and an exhibit space, and houses interactive activities such as a musical petting zoo and a "wet" classroom space to make concert posters and other art projects.402 Museum officials named it The Taylor Swift Education Center and the singer is involved in an advisory capacity.403 Also in 2012, Swift partnered with textbook rental company Chegg to donate $60,000 to the music departments of six US colleges.404405 In 2013, Swift donated $100,000 to the Nashville Symphony.406 Swift promotes children's literacy. In 2009, she donated $250,000 to various schools around the country that she had either attended or had other associations with. The money was used to buy books, fund educational programs and help pay teachers' salaries.407 In 2010, she took part in a live webcast, Read Now! with Taylor Swift, broadcast exclusively in US schools to celebrate Scholastic's Read Every Day campaign.408409 In 2011, Swift donated 6,000 Scholastic books to Reading Public Library, Pennsylvania410and, in 2012, she donated 14,000 books to Nashville Public Library, Tennessee.411 Most of the books were placed in circulation; the rest were given to children from low-income families, preschools and daycare centers.411 In 2012, she co-chaired the National Education Association's Read Across America campaign and recorded a PSA encouraging children to read.412 Also in 2012, Swift promoted the "power of reading" in a second live Scholastic webcast, broadcast directly to US classrooms.413 In 2013, through the Reach Out and Read initiative, she donated 2,000 Scholastic books to the Reading Hospital Child Health Center's early literacy program.414 In 2014, she appeared in a READcampaign415 and took part in another Scholastic webcast, broadcast in US classrooms.416 Also that year, she donated all proceeds from her song "Welcome to New York" to New York City Public Schools.417 Throughout her career, Swift has donated money to help victims of natural disasters. In 2008, she donated the proceeds from her merchandise sales at the Country Music Festival to the Red Cross's disaster relief fund.418 Later that year, she donated $100,000 to the Red Cross to help the victims of the Iowa flood of 2008.419 In 2009, Swift supported the Victorian Bushfire Appeal by joining the lineup at Sydney's Sound Relief concert,420 reportedly making the biggest contribution of any artist to the Australian Red Cross.421 In 2010, she took part in the Hope for Haiti telethon; she performed and answered phone calls from viewers wishing to donate money.422 She also recorded a song for the Hope for Haiti Now album.423 In response to the May 2010 Tennessee floods, Swift donated $500,000 during a telethon hosted by WSMV.424 Later that year, she donated $100,000 to help rebuild a playground in Hendersonville, Tennessee which was damaged by floodwater.425 In 2011, Swift used the final dress rehearsal for the North American leg of her Speak Now tour as a benefit concert for victims of recent tornadoes in the United States, raising more than $750,000.426 She also donated $250,000 toAlabama football coach Nick Saban's charity, Nick's Kids, to aid in the tornado relief efforts of West Alabama.427 In 2012, Swift supported Architecture for Humanity's Restore the Shore MTV telethon in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.428 Swift opposes LGBT discrimination. Following the 2008 murder of Larry King, she recorded a Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network PSA to combat hate crimes.429 On the first anniversary of King's death, Swift told Seventeen that her parents taught her "never to judge others based on whom they love, what color their skin is, or their religion."430 In 2011, the music video for Swift's anti-bullying song "Mean" dealt in part with homophobia in high schools; the video was later nominated for an MTV VMA social activism award.431432433 The New York Times believes she is part of "a new wave of young (and mostly straight) women who are providing the soundtrack for a generation of gay fans coming to terms with their identity in a time of turbulent and confusing cultural messages."431 The singer is involved with a number of charities which provide services to sick children. In 2008, she donated a pink Chevy pick-up truck to the Victory Junction Gang Camp; the truck is used to transport sick children from the airport to the camp.434 In 2009, after performing at the BBC Children in Need annual telethon, she donated $20,000 to the cause.435 In 2011, as the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year, Swift donated $25,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Tennessee. This figure was matched by the Academy.436 In 2012, Swift participated in the Stand Up to Cancer telethon, performing "Ronan", a song she wrote in memory of a four-year-old boy who died ofneuroblastoma. The song was made available for digital download, with all proceeds donated to cancer-related charities.437 In 2014, she donated $100,000 to the V Foundation for Cancer Research438 and $50,000 to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.439 Swift has met with many sick fans through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.440441442443 She has also made private visits to hospitals such as St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Ronald McDonald House, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Children's Hospital & Medical Center and Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.444445446447448449 Swift has encouraged young people to volunteer in their local community as part of Global Youth Service Day450 and has promoted The @15 Fund, a social change platform underwritten by Best Buy, which gives teenagers the opportunity to direct the company's philanthropy.451 In 2007, she launched a campaign to protect children from online predators, in partnership with the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.452 Also in 2007, she supported an Allstate campaign which promotes safe teenage driving.453 In 2009, Swift recorded a Sound Matters PSA to make listeners aware of the importance of listening "responsibly."454 She appeared in a Got Milk? campaign in 2010.455 Swift has donated auctionable items to a large number of charities, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation,456 the UNICEF Tap Project,457 Oxfam International,458 Habitat for Humanity,459 MusiCares460 and Feeding America.461 She has also performed at a number of benefit concerts, including for the Food Bank For New York City,462 the Reading, Writing & Rhythm Foundation,463 Christmas for Kids,464 Shriners Hospitals for Children,465 and Centrepoint.466 Personal life Wealth The harbor in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, where Swift owns a summer home Swift's main residence is a duplex penthouse in Tribeca, New York City.467 She also spends time at a three-bedroom cottage in Beverly Hills, California,468 and a duplex penthouse in Midtown Nashville, Tennessee.7469 She owns an eight-bedroom summer home in coastalWatch Hill, Rhode Island.470 In addition, Swift purchased a four-bedroom mansion in Belle Meade, Tennessee, for her parents.471 She owns a Dassault Falcon 900 private jet and an airport hangar at Nashville International Airport.472473474475 According to Forbes’s Celebrity 100 list, released annually in the month of May, Swift earned $18 million in 2009,476 $45 million in 2010,477 $45 million in 2011,478 $57 million in 2012,479 $55 million in 2013480 and $64 million in 2014.481 Relationships Swift dated singer Joe Jonas from July to October 2008,482483 and actor Taylor Lautner from October to December 2009.484485 She was romantically linked to musician John Mayer from late 2009 until early 2010.486487488489 She dated actor Jake Gyllenhaal from October to December 2010.490491 Following their break-up, they were seen together in January and February 2011.492493 Swift dated political heir Conor Kennedy from July to September 2012.494495 She dated One Direction singer Harry Styles from October 2012 to January 2013.496497 Jonas and Mayer have both written songs about Swift.498499 Politics Swift says she registered to vote on her 18th birthday.500501 During the 2008 presidential campaign, she supported the Every Woman Counts campaign, aimed at engaging women in the political process, and was one of many country stars to record a public service announcement for the Vote (For Your) Country campaign.502 She stated: "I don't think it's my job to try and influence people which way they should vote."8 Following President Obama's inauguration, she told Rolling Stone that she supported the president: "I've never seen this country so happy about a political decision in my entire time of being alive. I'm so glad this was my first election."503 In 2010, former U.S. President George H. W. Bush attended the taping of a Swift television special in Kennebunkport, Maine,504 and later described Swift as "unspoiled" and "very nice."505 In 2012, Swift was presented with a Kids' Choice Award in recognition of her charitable work by Michelle Obama, who praised her as someone who "has rocketed to the top of the music industry but still keeps her feet on the ground, someone who has shattered every expectation of what a 22-year-old can accomplish."506 Swift later described the First Lady as "a role model."507 In a 2012 interview, Swift remarked that, although she tries to keep herself "as educated and informed as possible," she doesn't "talk about politics because it might influence other people."508 She has spoken of her interest in American history and has read books about Abraham Lincoln, John Adams, theFounding Fathers and Ellis Island.509 Swift has spent time with the Kennedy family510 and has spoken of her admiration for Ethel Kennedy.511512 Awards and achievements Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Taylor Swift Swift has received seven Grammy Awards, fifteen American Music Awards, eleven Country Music Association Awards, seven Academy of Country Music Awards, and twelveBillboard Music Awards. As a songwriter, she has been honored by the Nashville Songwriters Association and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2013, she became the second person (and first woman) to receive the Country Music Association's Pinnacle Award.513 Additionally, she has received two Golden Globe Award nominations.514515 In 2011, she also became the second female artist after Carrie Underwood to win back-to-back Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards for Entertainer of the Year (2011 and 2012). In December 2011, she was awarded the prestigious Harmony Award from the Nashville Symphony Orchestra for her achievements in music across many genres.516517 In March 2013, Swift was named an immortal by Rolling Stone magazine.518 "If Taylor Swift stopped producing hits right now, at 23, she could tour a killer oldies show for the rest of her life," Rolling Stone proclaimed.519 In 2013, the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) honored Swift with its songwriter/artist of the year award. This was her sixth win, surpassing five-time winners Vince Gill and Alan Jackson.257 In 2011 and 2014 she was named Billboard's Woman of the Year, thus becoming the first woman to win the award twice.520 According to Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Swift is the second best selling digital singles artist in the United States, with certified sales of 65.5 million digital singles including on-demand streaming.521 Discography * Taylor Swift (2006) * Fearless (2008) * Speak Now (2010) * Red (2012) * 1989 (2014) Concert tours * Fearless Tour (2009–10) * Speak Now World Tour (2011–12) * The Red Tour (2013–14) * The 1989 World Tour (2015) Category:Singer Category:Musician